Émile Gallé (1846-1904), a French artist who worked in glass, is considered to be one of the major forces in the French Art Nouveau movement. He produced a wonderful series of vases with emphases on naturalism and floral motifs. His early work used clear glass decorated with enamel, but he soon turned to an original style featuring heavy, opaque glass carved or etched with plant motifs, often in two or more colours as cameo glass. An unusual seaweed vase of his is shown on the right.

Some of the motifs are clearly based upon Delesseria sanguinea, perhaps a drift plant or even a herbarium specimen. The other plant represented is less clear, but may beCalliblepharis ciliata. The swollen structures on the neck of the vase could be cystocarps of either species.

I am very grateful to a collector of Gallé's vases who brought this wonderful object to my attention.